Swan news
Winter is back again!
At last, proper winter weather! A high pressure system developing over the UK has brought plunging temperatures, crisp ground frosts and bright sunny days! Together with easterly winds, conditions are near perfect for the onwards migration of swans from t
16 January 2012
Caper flies in for his 23rd winter!
On yet another mild day with westerly winds, conditions not very suitable for migration to Britain, I was beginning to wonder how many more swans would arrive this winter. We were therefore pleasantly surprised to see a trickle of regulars push on ahead l
9 January 2012
A strange winter so far....
What an interesting swan season so far! Although the first Bewick’s flew into Northwest Europe ‘on time’, the mass migration of most of the population has stopped and started and stopped again, with periods of cold coinciding with the arrival of man
23 December 2011
The Slimbridge pecking order!
The cold weather has encouraged yet more swans to fly in with 39 birds arriving at Slimbridge over the past week pushing the count up to 130 today! We welcomed back 17 year old Geena who brought mate Hugo back to the reserve for their tenth winter togethe
19 December 2011
Latest survey shows poor breeding
Last week, a big co-ordinated age count took place across Europe in an effort to determine whether or not the Bewick’s have had a good breeding season, information which may help us to understand what is driving the population’s rapid decline. This in
13 December 2011
Arrival of the Royal Couple!
Strong south-westerly winds did not deter our Royal couple, William and Katherine, from pushing on to Slimbridge this week. The pair, named earlier in the year in honour of the Royal marriage, arrived back for their seventh winter together. They are now j
9 December 2011
Another Divorcee and Mr Bond!
It’s been another busy week on Swan Lake with a steady stream of new arrivals, bringing yet more intriguing stories! After the arrival of one of the divorcees, Saruni, a week ago, we wondered whether her ex. partner Sarindi would arrive. We didn’t h
24 November 2011
November? More like mid-winter!
After the flurry of new arrivals at the beginning of the week, the lake is settling down as new birds familiarise themselves with the daily routine of the feeds and regular visitors re-establish their patch. Numbers have been fluctuating daily, with a top
17 November 2011
Swans flood in!
Swan Lake has been completely transformed with the arrival of 75 new birds, including 24 cygnets, over the weekend! On Saturday night alone, 50 swans dropped down, in the biggest ‘swan-fall’ for seven years! As I write, 100 swans are swimming, preenin
14 November 2011
First family arrives!
Over the past two days, 23 new swans have flown in on a north-easterly breeze, including the first family of the winter! Pair Croupier and Dealer have arrived with five cygnets, continuing one of the longest family lineages at Slimbridge and demonstrating
11 November 2011
And now there are five!
Two new swans swooped in over the weekend to join Dario, Bridges and Humbugs for a winter at Slimbridge. The birds have grey flecks on their heads which indicate that they are yearlings. Born in June 2010, they have already made three migrations, flying o
8 November 2011
A flakey association
So after several days of watching Dario and Bridges, we have come to the conclusion that they are not a pair but just flying pals. There have been no signs of courtship dances or contact calls, they frequently stray from each other and as Steve Heaven, ou
1 November 2011
Bewick's vs Mute's!
A spot of swan rivalry between the resident pair of mute swans and the four newly arrived Bewick’s is keeping us all glued to the lake at the moment. Clearly not used to sharing the lake, the mutes are doing all they can to puff themselves up, look s
26 October 2011
Bewick's arrive at Slimbridge!
The first four Bewick's swans flew into Slimbridge this morning! They touched down briefly on Swan Lake at 7.30am before heading off for a reconnaissance of the reserve. Three of the swans this morning (J. Lees) Dario
25 October 2011
Bewick's in Britain!
The first three Bewick's swans arrived at our Welney centre last night, officially kicking off the swan season here in the UK! The wind, although in the 'wrong' direction, was very light and the skies were clear so visibility was good for flying. Day l
21 October 2011